These were sent to me well over two years ago by a Gothic Gardening reader whose name, alas, I do not know! (and the email was life596…) Thanks, whoever you are!

Spicy Kitchen Incense

* 3 tsp. red sandlewood powder(Pterocar pus santalinus)
* 4 tsp. ground cloves(Eugenia aromatica)
* 2 tsp. ground ginger(Zingiber officinale)
* 1/4 tragacanth dissoled in 3 tsp. cold water
* 1/4 tsp. saltpeter dissolved in 3 tsp. boiling water
* 4 drops mineral oil

Yield: approximately 9 to 11 cones

Rosemary/Sandalwood

* 3 tsp. ground rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) powder
* 2 tsp. red sandalwood powder(Pterocar pus santalinus) powder
* 1/4 tragacanth dissoled in 2 tsp. cold water
* 1/4 tsp. saltpeter dissolved in 2 tsp. boiling water
* 3 drops mineral oil

Yield: 8 to 10 cones

White Man’s Smudge

* 2 tsp. white pine bark (Pinus spp.) powder
* 1 tsp. sage (salvia officinalis) powder
* 1/4 tragacanth dissoled in 2 tsp. cold water
* 1/4 tsp. saltpeter dissolved in 2 tsp. boiling water

Yield: 8 to 10 cones

Smudge incense

* 2 tsp. dried finely ground arbovitae leaf (no stems)
* 1 tsp. white pine bark (Pinus spp.) powder
* 2 tsp. sage (salvia officinalis) powder
* 1/4 tragacanth dissoled in 2 tsp. cold water
* 1/4 tsp. saltpeter dissolved in 1 1/2 tsp. boiling water
* 3 drops mineral oil

Yield: 8-10 cones

Lavender Summer incense

* 3 tsp. finely ground lavender flowers(lavendula officinalis)
* 1 tsp. quassia chips powdered (quassia amara)
* 1/4 tragacanth dissoled in 2 tsp. cold water
* 1/4 tsp. saltpeter dissolved in 2 tsp. boiling water
* 4 drops mineral oil

Yield: 8-10 cones

Eucalyptus-juniper

* 3 tsp. eucalyptus leaves powdered (Eucalyptus globulus)
* 1 tsp. powdered juniper berries (Juniperus communis)
* 1 tsp. quassia chips powdered (quassia amara)
* 1/4 tragacanth dissoled in 2 tsp. cold water
* 1/4 tsp. saltpeter dissolved in 1 1/2 tsp. boiling water
* 2 drops mineral oil

Yield: 8-10 cones

Scarborough Fair
(its called this because these plants are mentioned in the song)

* 1 tsp. ground rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) powder
* 1 tsp. sage (salvia officinalis) powder
* 1 tsp. thyme (Thymus vulgaris) powder
* 1 tsp. quassia chips powdered (quassia amara)
* 1/4 tragacanth dissoled in 2 tsp. cold water
* 1/4 tsp. saltpeter dissolved in 2 tsp. boiling water
* 4 drops mineral oil

Yield: 8-10 cones

How to make the incense

1. Add the mineral oil to the saltpeter and hot water, stir until evenly dispersed.
2. Pour into the tragacanth and cold water. Stir well.
3. Mix all other ingrediants together in a glass. Pour liquid onto the herbs 1 tsp. at a time. Making sure to stir. When the mixture forms a ball stop. If you use all of the liquid and the mixture is still dry, add tap water a tsp. at a time.
4. Remove about a dime sized amount of the mixture and form into a cone approximately 1 1/3″ long and 7/16″ wide at the base. If the cone crumbles roll back into a ball and start again. Repeat.
5. Lay the cones on there sides on a nonreactive metal pan. Have a about 2″ between each one.
6. Heat oven to 170°, shut it off, and place pan in oven for an hour.
7. Check to see if cones are dry if not repeat step 6.
8. Store incense in a tight lidded jar

Eye of Newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting
Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing

While this famous recipe from Shakespeare’s Macbeth sounds like a grisly combination of animal parts, almost all the references are probably to herbs. It has been a longstanding tradition in magic and sorcery to refer to spell components obliquely; often the real recipe resembles very little what the uninitiated conjure in their minds’ eye. For example, ‘tongue of dog’ is referring to houndstongue, Cynoglossom officinale. This herb supposedly has the power to quiet the barking of dogs. ‘Adder’s fork’ is adder’s tongue, Ohioglossum vulgatum, a fern reputed to have healing properties.

One of the Greek magical papyri actually contained a list of translations of some the terms used in spells. They called plants by these secret names “because of the curiosity of the masses”. The concern was that “they do not take precaution”, and using these oblique terms would prevent the masses from practicing magic. Here are some of the translations:

* A Bone of an Ibis: this is Buckthorn.
* Tears [Sleep Sand] of a Hamadryas Baboon: Dill Juice.
* Blood of Hephaistos: Wormwood.
* Hairs of a Hamadryas Baboon: Dill Seed.
* Semen of Hermes: Dill.
* Blood of Ares: Purslane.
* Blood of an Eye: Tamarisk Gall.
* Blood from a Shoulder: Bear’s Breach [probably Acanthus mollis or Helleborus foetidus].
* From the Loins: Camomile.
* A Man’s Bile: Turnip Sap [probably Brassica napus].
* A Pig’s Tail: Leopard’s Bane.
* Blood of Hestia: Camomile.
* An Eagle: Wild Garlic [Trigonella foenumgraecum, but the reading is doubtful].
* Blood of a Goose: A Mulberry Tree’s Milk.
* A Lion’s Hairs: Tongue of a Turnip [i.e., the leaves of the taproot].
* Kronos’ Blood: . . . of Cedar.
* Semen of Helios: White Hellebore.
* Semen of Herakles: this is Mustard-rocket [probably Eruca sativa].
* A Titan’s Blood: Wild Lettuce.
* Blood from a Head: Lupine.
* A Hawk’s Heart: Heart of Wormwood.
* Semen of Hephaistos: This is Fleabane.
* Semen of Ammon: Houseleek.
* Semen of Ares: Clover.
* Fat from a Head: Spurge.
* From the Belly: Earth-apple.
* From the Foot: Houseleek.

From The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation including the Demotic Spells by Hans Dieter Betz. Translators’ notes are in [ ]. Apparently this list is not unique, since similar lists are apparently found in the works of Galen, Paul of Aegineta, and Dioscorides.

Knowing the various folk names of plants can also be useful in attempting to determine the ingredients of a spell. Some examples which might be helpful:

* Ass’s Foot or Bull’s Foot: Coltsfoot
* Bat’s Wings: Holly
* Bear’s Foot: Lady’s Mantle
* Calf’s Snout: Snapdragon
* Bull’s Blood or Seed of Horus: Horehound
* Graveyard Dust: Mullein
* Unicorn Root: Ague Root
* Wolf Claw: Club Moss
* Wolf’s Milk: Euphorbia
* Sparrow’s Tongue: Knotweed

It’s quite easy to imagine how these names could be used in a spell to obscure the true ingredients and make the recipe sound far more gruesome than it really is. Suffice to say, if the components of an old spell sound straightforward, they probably aren’t.

Many, many plants have historically been associated with the dead and the spirit world; often these were grave goods (offerings buried with the dead), or plants traditionally grown in cemeteries. The plant traditionally associated with raising the dead is the yew, but there are many other plants which are associated with the dead for the purpose of summoning the spirits, most often to entice the spirit into answering questions about the future. The magical incense burned by witches to attract spirits and help the materialize is known as a “suffumigation”. Various plants were used in suffumigations, including anise, dried carnation flowers, amaranth flowers, and gardenia petals, dittany of Crete, frankincense, heather, pipsissewa, sweetgrass, and wormwood. Dittany, in particular, was considered an excellent base; spirits would appear in the center of the smoke. Balm of gillead was also burned as a material basis for spirits. Asafoetida destroys the spirit manifestations when throw into the fire (although I’ve also found information that it pulls in negative spirits).

Sandalwood is very commonly combined with other herbs for conjuring spirits. Wormwood, mixed with sandalwood, should be burned while in a graveyard. This will cause the spirits of the dead there to rise and speak. Crushed willow bark with sandalwood should be burned outdoors during the waning moon for conjuring. Sandalwood and frankincense is burned during seances. Lavender is also mixed with sandalwood for spirit summoning.

An incense for summoning recalcitrant spirits consists of three parts wormwood and one part Solomon’s Seal. This is good for human dead who are not in very helpful moods. An incense for summoning spirits which were in a depressed state when they died consists of three parts wormwood and one part vervain. This is also good for people who are not aware they are dead. This will not only call them, but will also lighten their mood. The ancient Greeks believed that wormwood should be burned on a fire of privet in order to summon the dead, since a fire of privet was thought to open the doors of the Underworld.

A recipe from a seventeenth century manuscript, ‘Secret of Secrets’, gives the following recipe for calling spirits:

Hermes saith there is nothing like unto spermaceti to Raise spirits suddenly, being compounded of spermaceti, lignum aloes and pepperwort and Muske saffron Red storage mixed with the bloud of a Lapwing this being fumigated. And if it be fumigated About Toombes or graves of the dead it causes spirits and ghosts of the dead to gather together as it is sayd.

Other spirit offerings used, especially if seeking blessings from the spirits, include lilac, mint, and purple heather, specifically. Pipsissewa is blended with rose petals and violets to draw beneficial spirits. Catnip, if grown near the house or hung over the door will attract good spirits and good luck. Althea is considered a ‘spirit puller’: you place it on the altar to bring in good spirits during a ceremony.

Solomon’s Seal was used as an offering to elementals when pleading for their aid. Bladderwrack was used specifically to summon water spirits. Broom (the plant, not the household implement) was used to call forth the spirits of the air. From a mountaintop, you would throw the broom up in the air to raise the winds and to call the air spirits. When the winds needed to be calmed, you would burn the broom and bury the ashes.

Boil some thistle, then remove it from heat and lie or sit beside it as the steam rises. Listen carefully, and you should be able to get the spirits to answer your questions. Tea made from dandelion root and placed beside the bed while still steaming will also call them.

The Chinese called spirits using bamboo flutes-they would carve the name of the spirit into a bamboo flute. A flute carved from elder, played at midnight far from human habitation, will also summon them. A German legend says that a sprig of mistletoe carried into an old house will allow you to see the ghosts that live there, and that you can also force the ghosts to answer your questions. In ancient Greece, visitors to the Oracle of the Dead on the bank of the river Acheron were given lupin seeds to eat before the spirits of the dead were invoked.

Like plants, most men have hidden properties that chance alone reveals.
—Maxims La Rochefoucauld

For ages, man has looked to plants for help in making decisions or using them to attempt to tell the future, especially in love. Nowadays, it’s mostly children who use flowers or plants this way–for instance, the game of picking petals of a daisy and reciting ‘He loves me, he loves me not’. Many make a wish as they blow on dandelion seed heads. Holidays, especially Halloween, are favorite times for these divination games, especially love divination. Holly could be used on Christmas, New Year’s, Midsummer, or Halloween to help you dream of your true love. Bay leaves were used for this same purpose on Valentine’s Day. St. Luke’s Day was once the appropriate time for this ritual: ‘Take marigold flowers, a sprig of marjoram, thyme, and a little wormwood; dry them before a fire, rub them to powder, then sift it through a fine piece of lawn; simmer these with a small quantity of virgin honey, in white vinegar, over a slow fire; with this anoint your stomach, breasts, and lips, lying down, and repeat these words thrice:

St. Luke, St. Luke, be kind to me,
In dream let me my true love see!

This said, hasten to sleep, and in the soft slumbers of night’s repose, the very man you shall marry shall appear before you.’

Almost all cultures have had some form of plant divination. Ancient Anglo-Saxon folklore says that if you offered an expectant mother a rose and a lily, if she chose a rose, the baby would be a girl. If she chose the lily, the baby would be a boy. On the other hand, the Victorians believed that if the pregnant woman went into the garden, closed her eyes, and spun around to pick a flower, the hue of the flower would tell her the sex of the baby. If it was a dark color, it was a boy, and a light color indicated a girl. In Korea, carnations were used by girls to tell their future. A girl would place a cluster of three blossoms in her hair. If the top one died first, the girl’s last years would be difficult. If the middle one died first, her earlier years would be hard. And if the bottom one died first her entire life would be miserable. (I guess no one in Korea had an entirely happy life.) Poppy petals were used in the east: a girl would place a petal in her lover’s hand, and then hit it with the edge of her own hand. If it broke with a loud pop, her lover was true; if it broke silently, he had been unfaithful. Gypsies used chives for fortune telling.
Flower Symbolism in Dreams

The appearance of certain plants in a dream was considered an omen of things to come. To dream of white flowers foretells death, as does dreaming of birch. Plants which are good omens in dreams include palm tree, olive, jasmine, lily, laurel, thistle, thorn, wormwood, currant, and pear. Plum, cherry, walnut, hemp, cypress, dandelion, and withered roses in dreams denote misfortune. Oak, apricot, apple, box, grape and fig foretell a long life. Dreams of elder, onion, acorn, and plum presage sickness. Beans are supposed to produce bad dreams and portend evil.

A significant amount of dream flora is related to love and marriage. Roses, of course, indicate success in love, as does clover, which indicates not only a happy marriage but also wealth and prosperity. Raspberry, pomegranate, cucumber, currant, and box all augur well for love affairs. If you dream of being picked by briars, it means you have and ardent desire, and the young in love often dream of being pricked by a thorn while trying to pick a rose. To dream of cutting cabbage means your lover is jealous, and if you dream of someone else cutting cabbage, it means that someone is trying to plant the seeds of jealousy in your lover’s mind. Dreams of walnut indicate unfaithfulness, and dreaming of cutting parsley means that you’ll eventually be crossed in love.

Dreaming of passing through brambles indicates trouble ahead, but if you pass through unhurt it means you will triumph over adversity. A dream of eating cabbages augurs illness for your loved ones and money loss, but dreams of oak, marigold, pear or nut denote riches. If you dream of gathering nuts you should be receiving unexpected wealth. Dreaming of fruit or flowers out of season is bad luck, and the reverse is also true: dreams of plants currently blooming is good luck. Dreaming of yew means the death of an old person who will leave behind considerable wealth. Violets or vines indicate advancement in life and prosperity. Eating almonds in a dream signifies a journey, and whether they are sweet or not indicates how successful the journey will be. Fresh, green grass in a dream is a good omen, but withered and decayed grass signifies misfortune and sickness, as does dreaming of cutting grass.

Many dream plants have more than one meaning, which don’t seem to have much to do with each other. For instance, yellow flowers can mean love mixed with jealousy or that you will have more children to maintain than what justly belong to you. Garlic can mean the discovery of hidden treasures or that a domestic quarrel will occur soon. To dream of the juniper tree itself is unlucky, especially if you are sick, but to dream of gathering berries in winter can mean you’ll achieve great honors and become an important person, and if you are married it foretells the birth of a son.
Pansy Divination
This was a method of fortune telling supposedly used by the Knights of the Round Table. Randomly pick petal off pansy and look at its markings:

* Four lines is a sign of hope
* Five lines from a center branch is hope founded in fear
* Thick lines bent to the right means prosperity
* Thick lines bent to the left means trouble ahead
* Seven streaks means constancy in love (and if the center streak were the longest Sunday would be the wedding day)
* Eight means fickleness
* Nine means a changing heart
* Eleven is disappointment in love and an early grave

First Flower of Spring

In spring, the day you find the first flower of the season can be used as an omen.

* Monday means good fortune
* Tuesday means greatest attempts will be successful
* Wednesday means marriage
* Thursday means warning of small profits
* Friday means wealth
* Saturday means misfortune
* Sunday means excellent luck for weeks

Daphnomancy

Place fresh laurel or bay leaves in an incense burner or open fire and concentrate on a question. If the leaves crack loudly and burn brightly it means the time is favorable, and if they smolder and die out it’s not. Throw a handful into a fire and watch the flame. The flames rising up together is a good sign. Three flame points means a harmonious conclusion, two flame points means you need a friend to help you, a single flame means single-mindedness.
Tea Leaf Reading

This is probably the most famous method of using a plant for divination. The tea needs to be prepared without an infuser, and allow the leaves to settle in the bottom of the cup. Think on your question while drinking the tea. Leave just enough tea to cover the leaves, take the cup in your left hand, swirl it three times, and turn the cup upside down on a saucer, draining it. When you then look into the cup, look at the pattern the residual leaves form (much like how you would envision pictures in the clouds). Allow your mind to wander until a strong impression comes rather than focusing on a single point.

The cup itself figures into the interpretation, with the handle of the cup representing the questioner. Symbols furthest from the handle are also the most distant from the questioner. Symbols closest to the rim of the cup represent the near future, while those in the bottom of the cup are in the distant future. If both a negative sign and a positive sign are present, it usually means success only after a delay or difficulty. Stars, leaves, triangles, and crowns mean good luck, while swords, ravens, or churches mean bad luck.

This was so weird, I just had to put it on a page. I found this recipe in A Garden of Herbs, by Eleanour Sinclair Rohde, who in turn found it Delights for Ladies by Sir Hugh Platt, which was published in 1594. (This is reproduced exactly as I found it in Ms. Rodhe’s book-if it doesn’t make sense, blame her.) Somehow, the idea of the “bloud of hearbes” sounded very goth to me….

HOW TO DRAW THE BLOUD OF HEARBES Stamp the hearbe, put the same into a large glasse, leaving two parts emptie (some commend the juice of the hearbe only) nip or else lute the glasse very well : digest it in balneo 15 or 16 daies, and you shall find the same very red : divide the watrish part; and that which remaineth, is the bloud or essence of the herb.

I still don’t have a clue as to what you do with the “bloud of hearbes” once you separate it out, but a kind reader, Teleny, friend of cats, has clued me in on just what balneo is:

Balneo was the name given to a double boiler, specifically one with a large tub on the bottom (like a roasting pan) and various handled saucepans inside it. French restaurants use them (under the name bain-marie, or Mary bath — perhaps a corruption of something having to do with sea water?) to keep sauces warm over the course of the day in the kitchen. Most French sauce recipes are simply doctored versions of one or two basic recipes, so it’s practical to make a large pot of basic sauce at the beginning of the day, and then take a little out at a time, mixing it with whatever is needed to make “specialty” sauces for each dish. The bath pan was and is constantly on the stove, replenished as needed, and is often kept on a low simmer rather than a boil.

Applied to herbalism, what could be surmised is that you would take your essence-in-the-making, put it into a glass bottle, cover the top well, and allow it to sit at a low, even warmth for two weeks. Since electric stoves aren’t adaptable to this, I’d suggest a heating pad, or even a few light bulbs as a heat source.

Note: I am NOT advocating human sacrifice as a method to increase garden yield. I just wanted to make that clear.

In times past, in many different cultures all around the world, human beings were sacrificed in the hope that their blood would ensure the harvest would be successful…….

In Ecuador, the Indians of Guayaquil sacrificed both blood and hearts as they plowed the fields. Also in Ecuador, the people of Canar sacrificed a hundred children each year at harvest. A Mexican harvest festival known as “the meeting of the stones”, a criminal was placed between two large stones and crushed to death. His remains were buried in the field. The ancient peoples of Mexico sacrificed people at all stages of corn growth, with new-born babies sacrificed at the sowing, children as the grain sprouted, and so on until they sacrificed old men when the maize was ripe for harvest. The Aztecs had a festival in September in which a young slave girl was chosen to represent the Maize Goddess Chicomecohuatl. She received offerings of maize and peppers and pumpkins from the people, and she had to stand on this pile of vegetables and then accept offers of blood from the pious, who had collected blood from cuts on their ears for a week. Finally, the girl was beheaded on a pile of maize, and her skin was removed so that one of the priests could clothe himself in it and dance in a procession.

Dionysus, the Greek god of the vine, was yet another god of vegetation whose rites were bloody. In myth, Dionysus was killed by the Titans, who tore his body to pieces and cast it over the land. In imitation of that story, the drunk and frenzied worshippers of Dionysus, the maenads, would tear a young man to pieces with their teeth and hands so that his blood and flesh could fertilize the land. Greek cities in Asia Minor had a fertility rite in the spring in which a man and woman were mated, had their genitals scourged, and were then burned. The Roman rites of Attis were derivative of earlier, bloodier rituals. On the “Day of Blood”, the priests of Cybele would dance around a pole of pine decorated with an effigy of the god Attis, and would castrate themselves and then throw the bloody organs at the pole.

In Lagos, a young girl would be impaled alive after the spring equinox. Sheep and goats would also be sacrificed, and these would be hung on stakes beside her, along with yams, maize, and plantains. Elsewhere in West Africa, a queen sacrificed a man and woman in March by killing them with hoes and spades and then buried them in a freshly-tilled field. The Marimos would sacrifice a short, stout man in the middle of a field and allow the blood to coagulate in the sun. The coagulated blood and the victim’s frontal bone and brain were then burned and the ashes scattered over the field. The rest of the body was eaten.

The Pawnees were well known for making annual sacrifices to ensure a good crops. After they sowed their fields, they took a captive put him or her to death. The captive could be beheaded with a tomahawk and shot with arrows, or slowly roasted over a fire and then shot with arrows. In any case, the flesh was cut from the bones while still warm and the blood squeezed out onto the newly-planted seeds. It has also been recorded that the chief devoured the heart of the sacrifice.

The Bagobos , of the Philippine island Mindanao, sacrificed a slave each year in December as payment for the last successful harvest and to ensure the favor of the spirits for the next harvest. The slave would be hung from a large tree with his hands stretched high above his head. He would be slain by a spear thrust, and then the body was cut clean through at the waist. The upper part of the body hung there for awhile while the lower half lay in a puddle of blood. Eventually both parts would be cast into a hole. The Bontocs and the Apoyoas of Luzon, another Philippine island, would make sure that every farm got at least one human head at planting and at sowing. They would lie in wait in the forest for the hapless victim and cut off the head, hands, and feet. The skulls would be exposed until the flesh decayed from the head.

The Khonds of Bengal offered sacrifices to the earth goddess Tari Pennu to ensure successful cultivation of turmeric, which they thought could not have a deep red color without the shedding of blood. The victim was known as a Meriah, and was either born to the position or devoted to the goddess as a child. The Meriah were considered consecrated beings and were treated well until they were to be sacrificed. Twelve days beforehand, the victim was prepared by cutting off his hair. The day before the sacrifice, the Meriah was tied to a post and smeared with turmeric, oil, and ghee, and adorned with flowers. The assembled crowd would dance around the pole and speak to both the earth and the victim. To the earth, they offered to sacrifice in exchange for good crops; to the victim, they reminded him that they had bought him and treated him well according to custom, and that no sin for his death could be laid upon them. The next day the victim would be led on procession, and since he was not allowed to show any signs of resistance, often his arms and legs would be broken, or he would be drugged into a stupor with opium. The method of death differed from place to place. Most commonly, the Meriah was strangled to death using a tree branch which had been split halfway; the victim’s neck would be inserted into the cleft and then the village priest would force the gap closed. The crowd would then hew the flesh from his bones. Sometimes the Meriah was cut up alive while being drug through the fields. Another method was to tie the victim to a wooden elephant. This elephant, which rotated on a pole, was spun around while the crowd cut the flesh from his body. A final method involved slowly roasting the victim to death. A low stage, in the form a gently-sloping V, was built, and the victim was bound and laid upon the stage. Fires and hot brands were used to make the victim roll up and down the stage as long as possible, since the more tears he shed the more plentiful the rain would be. The next day, the body would be cut up. In all cases, the head and internal organs would not be touched. These, along with the bones, would be burned the following day and the ashes scattered over the fields. The pieces of flesh would be taken back to all the neighboring villages and planted in a hole in the ground.

This is an idea that probably properly belongs in the Botanic Cathedral, but I thought the idea was so lovely that I’d give it a page of its own. The mint pool was a part of the garden before the ninth century, often part of the cloister garden. Helen Noyes Webster, in her book Herbs: How to Grow Them and How to Use Them, describes this “pool”:

Somewhere I have seen a curious old wall picture of this interesting picture. As I remember it, an old monk, with robes tucked under his girdle, bends stiffly over his garden of mints which seem to be of many kinds. In the distance we recognize tall angelica or it may be lovage, but this rocky pool seems to be in a low, disused, unornamented part of the garden-just where we would expect the mints to grow. Through a crude sluice of hollowed log, which looks moss-grown and slimy, the water is dripping from somewhere into a shallow and mud-bound pool.

This would be an excellent idea for any wet, rocky, or otherwise unusable part of your garden. Mints thrive in many conditions that kill other plants (indeed, often mint is so successful it invades parts of the garden where it is unwelcome). A cool grotto, with some running water, would be nice if planted with several different varieties of mints. My favorites include chocolate (black) mint, orange mint, and apple mint. This could also be adapted for use on a city patio, where a hidden faucet could slowly drip into a terraced planting full of mints….which could quickly cascade over the side, and maybe even find purchase in the walls, so that the soon the area is covered with these attractive, aromatic herbs.

Here’s a easy little craft item that is both *gothy* and *herbal*. Pomanders have a long and glorious history. They were once carried by the populace because physicians considered them protection against disease. The well-to-do carried intricately designed hollow metal balls filled with scented herbs (these expensive notions were favorite gifts to give on New Year’s) , and ordinary people made apples or oranges studded with cloves (like the ones described here). Later, the Victorians used them for scenting gloves and handerchiefs.

Start with a thin-skinned, evenly-shaped orange. I like navel oranges for making pomanders, because the skin is very easy to make holes in. Use a darning needle, meat skewer, or even a pen, to make holes in the orange skin, with only about 1/8″ between the holes. Also leave a criss-cross pattern devoid of holes–this will be where you tie a ribbon around the pomander once it’s dried out (see picture below). Take whole cloves, complete with heads, and push one into each hole. If you’ve placed your holes correctly, you shouldn’t see orange skin between the clove heads. You’ll need a lot of cloves to stud the entire orange, so it’s best if you buy them in bulk at the framer’s market.

Once you are done studding the orange with cloves, mix some orris root powder (found at most herb shops; this is what is used to preserve potpourri), cinnamon, and nutmeg together, and roll the orange in the mixture. Put the orange in a paper bag or wrap in wax paper and put into a dark place until dry. If you live in a humid climate like I do, you might want to put in a pack of dessicant (silica gel). Once the orange had dried out, tie a suitably gothy ribbon or cord around it. Makes a great gift, and can be used to scent drawers or cabinets.

Another great gift idea is an herb pillow. All you need is a small piece of cloth–remnant tables are a good place to find nice scraps of velvet, lace, or brocade. An important thing to remember is that you want to be able to smell the herbs inside the pillow, so the material you use should not be too thick. If you choose a thick material like brocade, consider using it for only one side of the pillow, and use a sheer material for the other side. A nice handkerchief can also be used; or rather, two can be sewn together easily to make a pillow. A mixture of herbs supposed to have a soporific effect is rose petals, mint, and a sprinkling of cloves. These little pillows (known as “Peace Pillows”) can be tucked inside the pillow case to help you sleep.

Almost everyone has heard of zombies. Most people have even heard that zombies really do exist, even if they bear little resemblance to their shambling, brain-eating fictional portrayal in Night of the Living Dead. The creation of these real zombies is the result of administering a “zombi poison”, carefully concocted by practitioners in Haiti. If you were hoping to grow all the ingredients for the zombi poison in your garden, you’re out of luck. The best scientific guess is that the active ingredient in the Haitian zombi poison is the toxin of a puffer fish. But there are several plants which are constituents of the zombi poison which contribute to the “overall effect” of the poison. All of this information was taken from Passage of Darkness, by Wade Davis (he’s the guy who wrote The Serpent and the Rainbow). He had access to several different versions of the poison, and determined these plants were the principal botanical ingredients:

tcha-tcha
This member of the legume family, Albizia lebbeck, has pharmacological activity due to a group of glycosides known as saponins. While most saponins cannot be absorbed by the intestine, they can be applied topically. The symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, excessive secretion in the respiratory passages, and pulmonary edema. If fatal, the victim “drowns” in his own fluids. This particular Albizia also contains a particular type of saponin known as sapotoxin, which interferes with cellular respiration in all parts of the body and causes death by weakening all vital functions.

consigne
The tree Trichilia hirta is used medicinally in Cuba, where infusions of the leaves are used to treat anemia, asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia. It is also used in magic rituals by the Yoruba-Bakongo cults. Relatives of this tree are used by some African tribes to induce vomiting or as an enema; excessive dosages can be fatal.

pois gratter
This liana vine, Mucuna pruriens, does contain psychoactive substances, but that’s not why it’s used in the zombi poison. The fruit of the plant is covered in trichomes (surface hairs) which cause severe itching due to an enzyme known as mucunain. These trichomes also contain histamine-releasing substances, similar to those found in bee and snake venom. An infusion of this plant is sometimes used to get rid of internal parasites, since the redness, burning, itching, and blistering that the fruit can cause to a person’s skin will also be noxious to any intestinal parasites. One hair underneath the skin is enough to produce a reaction.

maman guepes and mashasha
Both of these plants (Urera baccifera and Dalechampia scandens, respectively) are members of the stinging nettle family. When the plant is touched, the stinging hairs break, and fluid that is produced at the base of the hair is injected into the skin. This fluid contains acetylcholine, histamine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine, and causes burning, itching, and swelling.

calmador
This is Jamaican dumbcane, Dieffenbachia sequine. Like other members of the Dieffenbachia, it contains calcium oxalate crystals in its leaves. These crystals irritate tissues causing swelling.

bwa pine
Supposedly this tree, Zanthoxylum martinicense, has a narcotic effect. An infusion of the bark is used in Jamaica to treat syphilis. Chewing on the bark relieves toothaches. The juice of young roots is used to treat intestinal problems. It is used in the zombi poison for its irritating spines.

pomme cajou
This is the cashew plant, Anacardium occidentale, which is a member of the poison ivy family. Raw cashews are known to be poisonous. Like any other member of the poison ivy family, exposure to any part of the cashew plant can cause inflammation of the skin, due to substances which include cardol, anacardic acid, anacardol, and cardanol.

bresillet
The Comocladia glabra tree is detested by the Haitians, but eradication of the tree is difficult since the smoke from burning them is dangerous. The toxic resins given off by the plant cause severe inflammation and dermatitis. The itching caused by the plant is so extreme that most of the damage done to the skin is self-inflicted. A related species in Cuba is considered an evil, diabolical plant: ‘Evil comes naturally to it and no one dares touch it.’

Since the zombi poison is normally applied topically, the plants which irritate the skin are important. The itching they cause can make the victim inflict wounds, allowing the poison to enter the bloodstream. Sometimes there are repeated applications of the zombi poison, and wounds inflicted earlier will allow for quicker absorption of these later doses. Once in the bloodstream, the pharmacological ingredients of the poison can do their work.

Pistachios are given to zombies to give them the rest of death.

Gothic Revival, an architectural movement in the 18th and 19th centuries, began with temples and porticos in English landscape gardens. These gardens were often used as laboratories for architectural innovation, since the expense involved in constructing small structures in the garden was far less than that required to construct an entire house. Indeed, many of these structures were made of impermanent materials, so few have survived to this day. These ornamental buildings were used to add interest to a view and to allow a patron to “try out” the architectural style to see if he liked it. Soon after these gothic temples and porticos and faux medieval ruins appeared in gardens, country houses in the Gothic Revival style began to appear.

Gothic Temple, Gothic Portico, Octangular Umbrello, and Gothic Temple from Batty Langley’s Ancient Architecture.

One of the most influential men in the design of these Gothic garden structures was Batty Langley, who published a book entitled Ancient Architecture Restored and Improved in 1741-2. The book was designed to instruct builders and craftsman in the Gothic style, not only for construction of new structures, but also in the restoration of medieval structures. Langley, a gardener’s son, was a landscape gardener and designer. Unfortunately, he showed distinct preferences for only certain aspects of Gothic style, and tended to blend classical and Gothic elements. Nonetheless, his use of ogee arches, pinnacles, and battlements became a standard of the early Gothic Revival movement.

Later Revivalists, especially Horace Walpole (he who invented the genre of literature known as Gothic Romance) held Langley’s garden structures in contempt. As Walpole remarked, “the Goths never built summer houses or temples in a garden.”